Hospice Care for HIV/AIDS Patients

Hospice Care for AIDS Patients

If you are reading this, it is likely you or someone you love has been waging a difficult physical and emotional battle against HIV/AIDS. The VITAS mission is to serve those in the end stages of HIV/AIDS, to relieve pain, control symptoms, improve quality of life and reduce anxiety for patients and their loved ones.

When is the right time to ask about hospice?

What can hospice do for a patient with HIV/AIDS?

What can hospice do for the family of a patient with HIV/AIDS?

What are the overall benefits of hospice care?

How can I approach the hospice discussion with my loved one(s)?

When is the right time to ask about hospice?

Considering the slow decline of a patient with HIV/AIDS over months or years, it can be difficult to determine the final stages of HIV/AIDS and when the time is right for hospice. In general, hospice patients are thought to have six months or less to live. When patients with HIV/AIDS decide to discontinue the use of a feeding tube or breathing machine, they are likely to benefit from HIV/AIDS hospice services.

Only a doctor can make a clinical determination of life expectancy. However, look for these common signs that HIV/AIDS has progressed to a point where hospice care for HIV/AIDS patients might be appropriate:

Serious co-morbid illness, such as anal or cervical cancer, lymphoma or heart disease

Request a hospice evaluation

The patient’s personal physician may recommend HIV/AIDS palliative care or hospice when the time is right. But patients and partners/family members often must act as their own advocates to receive the care they need. You, your loved one or your physician may request an evaluation to see if HIV/AIDS palliative care or hospice is an appropriate option. Call 844.831.0028 to see how hospice can help.

What can hospice do for a patient with HIV/AIDS?

Your hospice team evaluates the patient’s status and updates the plan of care as symptoms and condition change, even on a day-to-day basis. The goal of hospice is to relieve physical and emotional distress so patients can retain their dignity and remain comfortable.

Hospice offers comprehensive services for patients with HIV/AIDS:

Pain and symptom control – People with HIV/AIDS often develop concurrent illnesses and opportunistic infections. VITAS specialists in pain management ensure patients are comfortable.

Patient advocacy – When a patient is noncompliant or needs an advocate, the hospice team may be able to place the patient in an appropriate care facility and start antiviral therapy. In many cases, the patient will become compliant, improve and no longer need hospice support. If the patient refuses antiviral therapy, the hospice team addresses pain and other symptoms and provides psychosocial support.

Care for patients wherever they live – in their homes, long-term care facilities or assisted living communities. If symptoms become too difficult to manage at home, inpatient hospice services can provide round-the-clock care until the patient is able to return home.

Coordinated care at every level – A plan of care is developed with the advice and consent of the patient’s physician. A team manager ensures that information flows between all physicians, nurses, social workers and, at the patient’s request, clergy. In addition, hospice coordinates and supplies all medications, medical supplies and medical equipment related to the diagnosis to ensure patients have everything they need.

Emotional and spiritual assistance – Hospice has the resources to help patients maintain their emotional and spiritual well-being.

What can hospice do for the family of a patient with HIV/AIDS?

Family members/partners may have to make difficult healthcare and financial decisions, act as caregivers and provide emotional support to others. If the decision is made to stop medical support, families often experience strong emotions and feel overwhelmed.

Hospice offers comprehensive services for families of patients with HIV/AIDS:

Caregiver education and training – The family caregiver is vital in helping hospice professionals care for the patient. As the patient gets weaker, symptoms increase and communication becomes more difficult. We relieve families’ concerns by educating them on how best to care for their loved one with HIV/AIDS.

Help with difficult decisions – Hospice helps families make tough choices that impact the patient’s condition and quality of life—for example, whether or not to give antibiotics for a recurring infection.

A VITAS nurse by phone 24/7 – Even the most experienced caregivers will have questions and concerns. With Telecare®, they don’t have to wonder, worry or wait for an answer. The heartbeat of VITAS after hours, Telecare provides trained hospice clinicians around the clock to answer questions or dispatch a member of the team to the bedside, when necessary.

Emotional and spiritual assistance – Hospice meets the needs of patients and their partners/family members alike.

Financial assistance – Although hospice services are covered by Medicare, Medicaid/Medi-Cal and private insurers, families may have financial concerns brought about by their loved one’s extensive illness. Social workers can assist families with financial planning and finding financial assistance during hospice care. After a death, they can help grieving families find financial assistance through human services, if needed.

Respite Care – Caring for a loved one with an end-stage illness can cause tremendous stress. Hospice offers up to five days of inpatient care for the patient in a Medicare-certified facility in order to give the caregiver a break.

Bereavement services –The hospice team works with surviving loved ones for a full year after a death to help them express and cope with their grief in their own way.

What are the overall benefits of hospice care?

If you or a loved one is facing a life-limiting illness, you may have heard the term hospice. Friends or family might have told you about the specialized medical care for patients or the support services for loved ones. But most people are unaware of the many other benefits of hospice.

Comfort. Hospice works with patients and families to give them the support and resources to assist them through this challenging chapter of life and help them remain in comfortable and familiar surroundings.

Personal attention. Working with the patient or family, the hospice team members become participants in the end-of-life process, a very personal experience for anyone. The hospice mission is to care for each person individually. We listen to patients and loved ones. We advocate for them. We work to improve their quality of life.

Reduced rehospitalization. In the last months of life, some people who are seriously ill make frequent trips to the emergency room; others endure repeated hospitalizations. Hospice care reduces rehospitalization: a study of terminally ill residents in nursing homes shows that residents enrolled in hospice are much less likely to be hospitalized in the final 30 days of life than those not enrolled in hospice (24% vs. 44%)1. Working with the patient or family, the hospice team members become participants in the end-of-life process, a very personal experience for anyone. The hospice mission is to care for each person individually. We listen to patients and loved ones. We advocate for them. We work to improve their quality of life.

Security. One of the greatest benefits of hospice is the security that comes from knowing that medical support is available whenever patients need it. The VITAS Telecare program assures healthcare support around the clock. And VITAS gives families the training, resources and support they need to give their ailing loved ones the care they deserve.

How can I approach the hospice discussion with my loved one(s)?

The final months and days of life are frequently marked by strong emotions and hard decisions. Talking about hospice, even with those closest to you, can be difficult. Here are some tips to get the discussion going.

For patients speaking to families

Education is key. Educate yourself first. By now, you’ve probably done some research on this website. It might also be helpful for you to learn some common misconceptions about end-of-life care, as your family may be misinformed about the realities of hospice. View our video on dispelling hospice myths. Read and share "Considering Hospice: A Discussion Guide for Families" at HospiceCanHelp.com.

Determine what your loved ones know. Before bringing up hospice, make sure your loved ones have a clear understanding of your health status. People handle difficult information in different ways. If family members do not accept or understand your prognosis, you might want to have your physician, clergy, a VITAS social worker or a trusted friend speak with them on your behalf.

Discuss your goals for the future, as well as theirs. As a patient, your greatest concern might be to live without pain, or to stay at home or not to be a burden. Ask your loved ones what their concerns are when they consider the coming months, weeks and days. Explain that hospice is not giving up. It is an active choice to ensure that everyone’s needs are met.

Take initiative. Remember, it’s up to you to express your wishes. Sometimes, out of concern for your feelings, your family or loved ones might be reluctant to raise the issue of hospice care for you.

For families speaking to patients

Education is key. Educate yourself first. By now, you’ve probably done some research on this website. It might also be helpful for you to learn some common misconceptions about end-of-life care, as your loved one may be misinformed about the realities of hospice. View our video on dispelling hospice myths. Read and share "Considering Hospice: A Discussion Guide for Families" at HospiceCanHelp.com.

Ask permission. Asking permission to discuss a difficult topic assures your loved one that you will respect his or her wishes and honor them. Say something like, “I would like to talk about how we can continue to ensure you get the very best care and attention as your condition progresses. Is that okay?”

Determine what is important to your loved one. Ask the HIV/AIDS patient to consider the future: “What are you hoping for in the coming months, weeks or days? What are you most concerned about?” The patient might express a desire to be comfortable, to stay at home or to not become a burden.

Discuss hospice care as a means of fulfilling the patient’s wishes. Once an HIV/AIDS patient’s wishes are known, explain that hospice is a way of making sure wishes and desires are met. For some, the word hospice evokes a false notion of giving up. Explain that hospice is not about surrendering to disease or death. It is about bringing quality of life to the patient’s remaining months, weeks or days.

Assure the patient that he/she is in control. Hospice gives patients options: the option to remain in the comfort of their own home, the option to take advantage of as much emotional and spiritual support as they desire, the option to have their own doctor actively involved in their care. Reassure an HIV/AIDS patient that you will honor his or her right to make choices about what is most important in life.

Be a good listener. Keep in mind that end-of-life cares a conversation, not a debate. Hear what the other person is saying. Know that it is normal to encounter resistance the first time you talk about hospice care. But if you listen and understand your loved one’s barriers and reasons for resisting, you will be prepared to address and ease his/her concerns in your next hospice discussion.